The composition of tobacco molasses or tobamel varies from one region to another but essentially, in addition to tobacco, includes molasses or honey as an agglutinant, in percentages as high as 70%, as well as other oily substances such as glycerine, serving as moisturizing agents, and essences of flowers or fruit as aromatic agents.
Depending on the quantity and nature of the additional substances mixed with the tobacco, these will also determine the density and compactness of the resulting tobacco molasses or tobamel product.
By way of example, the presence of oils tending to solidify at ambient temperature will inevitably render a tobamel mixture somewhat compact.
Whatever the compactness presented by each different kind of mixture, the inclusion of any agglutinating substance, being liquid to a greater or lesser degree, is accompanied by notable drawbacks connected with the operations of blending and packaging portions for use by smokers.
For a tobacco molasses mixture to be successfully retailed, in effect, it must be packaged in special wrappers that will ensure the product stays in perfect condition. The wrap must therefore guarantee absolute airtightness, otherwise the mixture could deteriorate rapidly, with loss of aroma and alteration of its moisture content.
The prior art currently includes a method of packaging tobacco molasses whereby a given quantity of the mixture is rolled out flat and conveyed through special refrigerated tunnels, in such a way that it freezes solid. Once the mixture has hardened, it is cut into single portions or slabs; each of these is then wrapped singly, still frozen, in a respective pack, generally paper.
The solution outlined above presents significant drawbacks, however.
A first drawback is the complexity of the system and the notable amount of energy consumed, given the high cooling power needed in order to bring about the quick freeze required for this type of method.
A second drawback derives similarly from the fact that the tobacco molasses mixture is frozen, inasmuch as the aromatic qualities of the product are always likely to deteriorate.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks associated with the prior art, by providing a method of packaging tobacco molasses that will be practical and inexpensive to implement.
A further object of the invention is to provide a system for packaging tobacco molasses that will be suitable for implementing the method disclosed: a system simple and inexpensive in construction, ensuring practicality of use and ease of maintenance.